


Interlude

by 1848pianist



Series: Some Heroes Do Wear Capes: Assorted Drabbles in the Marvel Fandom [2]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Asexual Erik, F/F, Fluff, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Rule 63, Sleepy Cuddles, Stress Relief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 06:59:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3240578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1848pianist/pseuds/1848pianist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blanket forts fix everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interlude

**Author's Note:**

  * For [toxicbalance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxicbalance/gifts).



> Based on a prompt from Alex!

“You’re still working?” Charlotte says when she returns to the dorm with food for both of them, dropping a sandwich on Erika’s desk.

“Just finishing up,” Erika replies, which is what she had said when Charlotte left half an hour ago.

“Right,” Charlotte says. “And you’re also the president of the United States.”

“’m not a natural-born citizen,” Erika says, clearly distracted. Despite her engineering major, calculus has never been her favorite subject, as Charlotte knows. Learning the mathematic laws behind her intuition seems to her a pointlessly frustrating exercise which gives rise to frequent complaints.

“Take a break,” Charlotte suggests, weaving a strand of Erika’s hair through her fingers.

“In a minute.”

Charlotte huffs and rests her chin on the top of Erika’s head.

“You know,” she says, a thought occurring, “it is National Readathon Day.”

“You’re making that up,” Erika says, sighing as she crosses out a dead-end proof.

“No, I’m not. Look it up.”

“I don’t have time, Charlotte.”

Leaning over, Charlotte snatches Erika’s notebook and hides it behind her back, out of reach.

“Hey!” Erika says, twisting around and glaring in her direction, or trying to, at least. Her mouth twitches in a hint of a grin, but she tries not to show it.

“You can have it back,” Charlotte says, “after you’ve taken a break.”

Erika scowls. With her powers she pulls on the spiral binding, but only succeeds in ripping it out of a few pages.

“Fine,” she grumbles. “What do you suggest?”

“No less than a solid hour of recreational reading without a calculator in sight.”

“And if I take my notebook as soon as you turn your back?”

Charlotte grins. “Then I will walk across the hall and give it to Raven. Or you could just keep your dignity and leave it alone.”

 “I thought I was supposed to be the one forcing you to take breaks,” Erika mutters, but she doesn’t protest as Charlotte puts the notebook out of sight in Erika’s bag.

“Wonderful,” Charlotte says. “You pick out the books and I’ll make tea. And don’t even think about…graphs.”

The exasperated look Erika gives her is accompanied by the mental equivalent of a sigh.

A pile of books and a kettle of hot water later, Charlotte begins gathering all of the room’s available pillows and sets about draping a blanket over the frame of the bed to create a curtain for the space underneath.

“What are you doing?” Erika asks.

“A blanket fort, of course,” Charlotte replies.

“Naturally,” Erika says dryly. “How silly of me to ask.”

Charlotte sends her a pointed look. “Hmm, I wonder what Raven is doing just now.”

She’s quite proud of the finished product, which is a veritable sea of pillows underneath the bottom bunk. When Erika crawls in beside her, Charlotte feels so cozy she thinks she might drift off before reading a word.

Erika curls around her, resting her head on Charlotte’s shoulder. She hums, contentment echoing in her thoughts and says, “I’m not sure how much reading I’m actually going to be doing under the circumstances.”

“Are you still thinking about graphs?” Charlotte teases, turning her head to feel Erika’s hair against her cheek.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Erika replies. Her arms slide around Charlotte’s waist, pulling her closer.

“Alright then,” Charlotte says and closes her eyes. “You could always read to me, you know.”

“That would probably require moving.”

“Probably.” Charlotte shifts, burrowing further into the nest of pillows beneath her and pressing closer to Erika. In addition to the warmth of the enclosed space, she feels the steady waves of happiness projecting from Erika’s mind, a bright glow beside her.

After a few minutes, Erika blinks sleepily and reaches for the book at the top of the pile, _The Once and Future King_ , which Charlotte had given her last Christmas.

“You don’t have to do that,” Charlotte mumbles into her hair. She listens anyway to the background hum of Erika’s thoughts as she opens the book and begins reading.

“I have to fulfill my end of the agreement, don’t I?” Erika asks.

“I’m willing to make exceptions,” Charlotte says.

“Shh,” Erika says, intentionally projecting her thoughts in Charlotte’s direction as she reads, as focused now as she is in anything. Charlotte finds herself caught up in the words, though she’s barely paying attention to the story, attuned instead to Erika’s particular mental voice.

Slowly, Erika’s fingers find their way to Charlotte’s hair, lazily twining in the strands. Charlotte hums happily and shifts even closer, almost unconsciously. Erika’s mental voice pauses for a moment, a warm current of amusement running through her, before she resumes reading. Her nails scratch gently against Charlotte’s scalp, derailing all her efforts to maintain any pretense of focus. Within minutes, Charlotte is all but asleep.

Erika sets aside the book, gazing down at Charlotte as her fingers trace small circles under her hair.

“Don’t stop on my account,” Charlotte mumbles.

“It’s alright,” Erika says. She feels calmer than she has in weeks, even since she can remember.

“Don’t go anywhere, then.” Charlotte hooks her fingers into the fabric of Erika’s shirt.

“I don’t intend to,” Erika replies and nuzzles Charlotte’s dark curls.

“Good.” It’s absolutely lovely, being here with Erika, when they’ve both been so busy this semester they’ve barely had time to say hello to each other. It’s been too long since Charlotte last held her so close for longer than a brief hug goodbye in the mornings, or at night in the few minutes before they fall asleep, exhausted. This is different, a contented drowsiness rather than worn fatigue.

“You’re projecting,” Erika informs her.

“Sorry,” Charlotte whispers back. “It is true, though.”

“I know. Thank you, for this.”

“This is for me, too,” Charlotte says, tilting her chin up to capture a kiss. Erika smiles against her lips, and Charlotte suddenly feels that she could make the moment last forever if only she wished hard enough.

“Not forever, but a while longer,” Erika says. Their minds are so close now that the division between their individual thoughts is narrow. Charlotte blinks in agreement and trails her hand down Erika’s spine, resting her arm at the curve of her waist.

When she next opens her eyes, Erika’s breathing has deepened, her muscles and the lines of her face slowly relaxing in sleep. Charlotte sees now the effects tension has etched on her, from the crease between her eyebrows to the tight set of her shoulders. In her waking hours the strain rarely absent for more than a moment, and Charlotte has become so familiar with it she ceased to notice. Now she wonders when was the last time she saw Erika laugh.

For the moment, at least, she studies Erika’s face, memorizing how young she looks in sleep. She hardly dares to move for fear of waking her.

Soon enough, though, Erika stirs, first with a twitch of her fingers and then a luxurious stretch that encircles Charlotte with her arms. Far from feeling trapped, Charlotte is even warmer in Erika’s half-conscious embrace.

Uncharacteristically, Erika takes her time arriving to consciousness, sleepily blinking open her eyes rather than snapping to full alertness as usual.

“Charlotte?” she asks, as though in confirmation.

“Right here,” she replies. “I suppose you want to get back to work?” She prepares herself reluctantly for things to return to normal.

Instead, Erika smiles. “I think we have a little more time.”


End file.
